Module 1: Ocean Literacy and Climate Change (PDF)

For this module, we will highlight the cognitive learning objectives that help us better understand basic marine ecology, ecosystems, the connection of humanity to the sea and the life it holds, inclu[...]

Ocean Acidification

The ocean absorbs about 30% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released in the atmosphere. As levels of atmospheric CO2 increase from human activity such as burning fossil fuels (e.g., car emissions)[...]

The Ocean Carbon Cycle

The ocean holds vast quantities of carbon that it continually exchanges with the atmosphere through the air-sea interface. Because of its enormous size and relatively rapid exchange of carbon with the[...]

A Drop in the Ocean: Closing the gap in ocean climate finance

The ocean is a fundamental economic and environmental engine providing the services that are critical for the success of every economy and the very survival of life on our planet. And yet, it is serio[...]

Ocean Circulation and Climate During the Past 120,000 Years

Oceans cover more than two-thirds of our blue planet. The waters move in a global circulation system, driven by subtle density differences and transporting huge amounts of heat. Ocean circulation is t[...]

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and Associated Drivers

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for 20% of the world catch and up to 50% in some areas. This industry often uses bonded labour, destructive fishing practices and deceptive p[...]

Closing Loopholes: Getting Illegal Fishing Under Control

Decreasing numbers of fish caught in global fisheries, overcapacity of fishing fleets, and rising demand for fish heighten the negative impacts of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing an[...]

Beyond Plastic Waste

With more than 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year, humanity must urgently rethink the way we make and use plastics, so that they do not become waste in the first place. Cheap, ligh[...]

The Keeling Curve: A daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration

The Keeling Curve is a daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration maintained by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Scripps CO2 measurements at Mauna Loa have bee[...]

Despite Pandemic Shutdowns, Carbon Dioxide and Methane Surged in 2020

Carbon dioxide levels are now higher than at anytime in the past 3.6 million years. Levels of the two most important anthropogenic greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, continued their unrelen[...]

Adaptive Water Resources Management Under Climate Change: An Introduction

Readers of this journal are well aware of the challenges of managing one of our planet’s most critical natural resources: water. We professionals, the people we serve, and indeed the entire world’[...]

Blue Carbon: The potential of coastal and oceanic climate action

The oceans and coasts are the Earth’s climate regulators. Covering 72 percent of the planet’s surface, they have absorbed about 40 percent of carbon emitted by human activities since 1850.1 Coasta[...]

Ocean Acidification and Other Ocean Changes

The world’s oceans have absorbed about 93% of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas warming since the mid-20th century, making them warmer and altering global and regional climate feedbacks. Ocea[...]

The Magnitude of Global Marine Species Diversity

The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metric for how much we do and do not know about life in the oceans. We have compiled the first register of the marine s[...]

Why the Ocean Matters in Climate Negotiations

The ocean takes up heat and carbon, reducing the adverse effects of climate change. The ocean plays a central role in regulating our climate and weather. The ocean has taken up more than 90% of the ex[...]

SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources

Sustainable Development Goal 14 is to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development, according to the United Nations. The visualizations and data o[...]

This Interactive Chart Shows Changes in the World’s Top 10 Emitters

A lot has happened since countries met in Paris in 2015 and agreed on an accord to combat climate change. So far, 196 countries ratified or otherwise joined the Paris Climate Agreement, representing m[...]

4 Charts Explain Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Countries and Sectors

Globally, greenhouse gas emissions have grown by 53% from 1990 to 2019. Where are these emissions coming from, and who is responsible? WRI’s Climate Watch platform offers comprehensive emissions dat[...]

Atmospheric Carbon by Birth Year Calculator

How much carbon was in the atmosphere when you were born? [...]

Sustainable development, poverty eradication and reducing inequalities. In: Global warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report

An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response t[...]

On Defining Climate and Climate Change

The aim of the article is to provide a clear and thorough conceptual analysis of the main candidates for a definition of climate and climate change. [...]

Connecting to the oceans

Improved public understanding of the ocean and the importance of sustainable ocean use, or ocean literacy, is essential for achieving global commitments to sustainable development by 2030 and beyond. [...]

The Colors of Carbon

A full spectrum of colour-based descriptions has emerged to describe the properties and distribution of organic carbon: black, brown, red, blue, green and teal. This colour-based terminology contribut[...]

The Biological Productivity of the Ocean

Productivity fuels life in the ocean, drives its chemical cycles, and lowers atmospheric carbon dioxide. Nutrient uptake and export interact with circulation to yield distinct ocean regimes. [...]

Deep Sea Fun

What types of marine life can be found in the deep sea? This online exercise comes to you from Neal Agarwal. [...]

The Carbon Cycle – Essential for Life on Earth

Carbon is an essential building block for life. Learning how carbon is converted through slow- and fast-moving cycles helps us understand how this life-sustaining element moves through the environment[...]

Ocean Carbon Dioxide levels. An invisible time bomb?

Ocean Acidification is perhaps the most well publicised consequence of increased levels of carbon dioxide being absorbed by our oceans. But as the oceans also absorb vast quantities of heat from ou[...]

The Ocean Carbon Cycle

Without the contribution of oceans and coastal ecosystems to global biological carbon sequestration, today’s CO2 concentration in the atmosphere would be much larger than it is. But the uptake capac[...]

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is the basis of all organic substances, from fossil fuels to human cells. On Earth, carbon is continually on the move – cycling through living things, the land, ocean, atmosphere. What happen[...]

Chasing a Global Coral Reef Bleaching Event

Coral reefs around the world have experienced the widest-spread, longest and most damaging bleaching event on record. The Ocean Agency, armed with custom-built 360-degree underwater cameras, raced aro[...]

Our Incredible Ocean

A visual toolkit to help raise awareness of the fundamental importance of the ocean to life on Earth, and help inspire ocean protection. This resource corresponds with the seven Ocean Literacy Essenti[...]

Global Carbon Atlas

An online interactive tool to explore and visualize the most up-to-date data on carbon fluxes resulting from human activities and natural processes [...]

Show your Stripes

This resource allows you to see the “stripes” of global warming in the planet or in your country. [...]

How Much Carbon was in the Atmosphere When you Were Born?

This resource allows you to see how the CO2 concentration has changed in the atmosphere since you were born. [...]

What is Ocean Acidification?

The term ocean acidification is used to describe the ongoing decrease in ocean pH caused by human CO2 emissions, such as the burning of fossil fuels. It is the little known consequence of living in a [...]

Why is pH Important?

pH is important for a wide range of industries from aquaculture to wastewater treatments that require an accurate pH reading, especially when it comes down to human safety. [...]

2020 Was One of Three Warmest Years on Record

The year 2020 was one of the three warmest on record, and rivalled 2016 for the top spot, according to a consolidation of five leading international datasets by the World Meteorological Organization ([...]

Marine Life Cycles

Although at the surface the ocean can appear calm and quiet, in fact there is an enormous amount of life activity taking place, particularly at certain times of the year. [...]

How Does CO2 Affect pH In Water?

The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in a solution is one of the many factors that determines the pH of water. When CO2 levels increase in water, the pH level drops, which makes the water become more ac[...]

What are El Niño and La Niña?

El Niño and La Niña are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide and can also have global impacts on weather, wildfires, ecosystems, and economies. [...]

Measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals

The goal of SDG 14 – Life Below Water is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. The UN has defined 10 Targets and 10 Indicators for SDG 14. Targets specify the go[...]